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All in all a great hoover

I bought this hoover many years ago and provided you clean it properly after use it should give you many years of good use. This hoover picks up all dog hair and is great although I do agree that you need to remove the attachments from the hoover to avoid catching them on furnishings and walls whilst using the main hoover. Only changed the belt once and i've had this approx 6-7 years now and the suction is still as great as it was when i first purchased it. Great hoover!!

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don't bother if you have pets. i bought this because it said it was a powerful vac for getting rid of pet hairs. its useless, it clogs up everytime i use it. the bagless system is awful, you get dust all over you when you empty it, and you have to empty it halfway through vaccing a room, the bagless system can not even vac 1 full room. there are so many bits and extras attached to the main body of the vac that they catch and bump into everything, so you end up with scratches on walls and in the end the vac extras just break off. after just a couple of months work the belt has gone, you try getting a cheap replacement belt for this. overall terrible vac, dirty and dusty when emptying, easily clogged up and just plain useless.

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A vacuum cleaner that does the job with a little bit extra,

I planned to write a review on this Vacuum cleaner a little while ago as it really is a mean, dust fighting machine. I wanted to give you all the in depth information about the many different functions and bits that you can use on the vacuum, but alas! My dear mother has lost the manual. Yep, that's right, before she even knows how to use all this bits and bobs, she has lost it! How frustrating! So unfortunately I shall probably not be using the technical terms that apply to each part or dial instead I shall be using my own interpretation and I hope that makes it clear enough.. So here we go...

* A Little Background *

We didn't actually need a new vacuum. Our old one was perfectly fine. It sucked and rolled along just nicely thank you! But my mum being the house maiden that she is decided she wanted a brand new machine that would knock the socks off the old one. (Just a shame she lost the instruction booklet before she worked out how to switch it on, let alone knock the socks off anything!) We bought it from my mum's catalogue mainly because they deliver and my mum can pay in instalments which is easier for her. My mum's catalogue is part of the Littlewoods group that was originally a football pools company, however now it runs many different catalogues and home shopping brands. On my little journey trying to find a duplicate instruction booklet (did I say my mum had lost it??? Oh yes, she did lose it! I still can't believe it!) I tried to find a Swan website to see if we could find an online manual or something along those lines. I searched for a good amount of time and found nothing. No website, no telephone number... zilch! What I did find out however is that in October 2001 Littlewoods became the owner of the Swan brand for electrical and kitchen appliances. Now it fits into place!

As Littlewoods owns the brand, it is almost impossible to find any other information on it. After giving Littlewoods a call, they said they didn't provide extra instruction leaflets so they were pretty useless in that sense. I must admit, knowing that SWAN is no longer an independent company and actually comes under Littlewoods has put me off buying their electrical equipment again. Purely in terms of aftercare service. I like to know that if I am really unhappy with a service or a product then I can try the outlet that sold it to me first of all. If they did not provide me with a satisfactory resolution then I would go directly to the brand themselves. (Usually through the company's website). However, Swan electrical seem to have no other presence then with Littlewoods. Which I don't find very reassuring.

Anyhow, back to the point in hand.

* What It Looks Like *

The Swan Vacuum cleaner we have is a dark red and grey metallic colour and when it is fully assembled it looks pretty big. It does allow you to fold the top handle down to save space and it also has the ability to lie flat, so if you have enough room under your bed it would quite happily fit under there. There is also a carrying handle at the front of the vacuum which makes it easy to move around, although it does feel very heavy and my mum struggles to carry this around by herself. The machine glides around on two large wheels and slightly in front of these are two smaller wheels which help to direct the vacuum when you are using it. In general it is an impressive looking machine. The first time I saw it I was taken aback. It looks like something out of space, or something NASA may have invented recently. There are knobs, buttons and levers all over the place. Hence why I advise you not to lose the instruction manual otherwise it takes a lot of investigation to find out very simple things! (Hint to mother... do not lose instructions!!)

* What Is It Like To Use? *

For the simplistic people, this vacuum can be a basic cleaner that you plug in, switch on and push too and throw. (Although keep a tight hold of the handle as it easily slips away because of the weight of the machine). The suction is very strong and it works wonders on carpet. It has been given its 'Petmaster' name because it is brilliant for anyone who has household pets as this is dynamite for picking up pet hairs, as well as the deep dust that gets into thick carpets. There is a dial on the front which allows you to vary the strength of the suction between a scale of 1 and 5, with 5 being for long pile. This protects your carpet from wearing out and also gives you the best possible clean. It gives old carpet a new lease of life and you can definitely see the difference from the first use. But, if you buy this vacuum, it won't be because you are the simplistic type. The different bits that come with turn it into an all in one cleaning assistant.

The power cord is wrapped around the back of the vacuum which allows you to only use the length you need and the cord length is 7 meters which is just about long enough for one room.

A main part of this vacuum is the long metal nozzle. (Check out the technical term!) This is similar to the main part of a small cylinder vacuum cleaner, where the main cleaner head is on a large pole or flexible hose. Now, with the Swan Vacuum, this is the counterpart to all the extras that they give you and if the goes up the creek when you are left with a basic upright Hoover. On the side of the main filter cleaner there is a little storage section that holds tools to provide you with the clean of your life. You can use the tube itself to clean the nooks and crannies of your house, but where is the fun in that? Give these a go and you will feel like molly maid in no time.

* Tools *

Crevice Tool This is a long piece of plastic in the shape of a knife holder. It is thicker at one end and then slims down to a slanted angle. This is great for reaching corners either on the floor or the cobwebs on the ceiling. It is also useful for cleaning stairs and the tight angles in-between each step. I also find this functional for cleaning curtains. It reduces the power slightly so you won't pull them off but gets all the dust off in a couple of minutes. It fits on to the suction pole very securely but be careful not to push too hard as it gets quite difficult to take it off again! I have also found that this gets scratched very easily and does not survive well with general wear and tear. Slightly worrying because as I said, without these tools the vacuum just becomes a heavy duty machine.

Dusting BrushThis is an oval brush that also fits onto the long suction tube. The bristles are very hardwearing but fairly soft. This makes it perfect for use on furniture without damaging the material. It also collects hairs easily but is very hard to clean as the hair gets right into the bristles. A bit like a dog brush! Still a benefit to the vacuum nonetheless.

Air Driven turbo brushThis sounds like a police siren! It is a mini vacuum head that fits on the end of the suction pole and as it says, goes into turbo mode. This is the best part of the vacuum and will pick up any dirt or hair that meets its path. It works so well because the tiny head has a circular air filter which then rotates around a little brush at very high speed, thus picking up tough hair and dirt. This is the little dynamite that makes this vacuum cleaner special. It is a small head so it will take some effort to go over the whole house just using this, but it is brilliant for targeting those tough areas.

* Filter *

This is a dust-bag free vacuum, the filter where all the dirt is collected is in a clear cylinder which makes it easy to see when it's full, or even easer if you happen to suck up one of your new ear-rings! It carries a fair amount of dirt, 2 litres to be precise and we empty it after every 7-10 uses. In saying that I live in a small flat that is half laminate flooring and half carpet. It does get very dusty so the vacuum is used fairly often. Obviously depending on the size of your house and how dirty it gets will depend on how often you need to empty the cylinder. In terms of emptying the cylinder where all the dirt is collected it couldn't be simpler. You pull out the top of the cylinder and press a button which opens the compartment where you clean it. The dirt comes out very easily without having to bang it twenty times first! It is a HEPA Filter (High Efficiency Particulate Air) which is brilliant for people with dust allergies as it means the vacuum collects extremely tiny pieces of dust particles. It also means that the air dispensed back into the room is fairly clean and it doesn't leave a musky smell of old dust. This Vacuum also has an active carbon filter which not only collects pet hairs etc but it also helps to eliminate the odours associated with these hairs. Carbon filters are used in things such as air purifiers and is made to remove impurities in material. This makes the room smell fresher... bonus!

* Warning *

I have to warn you. This is one noisy monster, when I use it I cant here the doorbell or the phone ringing because the sound takes over. It means I feel guilty if I use this in the evening as my neighbours will get a nasty surprise during their evening meal or they might think we are having an earthquake! As well as the noise, this vacuum weighs 22.05 pounds, close to a stone! Although it does glide over the floor easily, it still takes plenty of elbow grease to move it around.

* To End... *

My mum paid £66 for this vacuum, which I think is quite steep although it seems you get a decent amount for the money. (Maybe I am just a stingy person and prefer to buy face creams and shoes). It does work well and definitely cleans beyond my expectations. (1 star) The design is attractive although somewhat elaborate and the suction is exceptional. (2 star), the tools are effective in cleaning other areas of the house rather then just the floor (3 star) and the filter is valuable as I have a sensitive nose and the lack of dust blown back out makes my life easier (4 star). However, the fifth star is being dropped because of the volume of noise it gives out and because of its weight. I would buy this again, but would shop around a little bit more to see if there is a lighter model.